AUSTIN, Texas (SMU) - The SMU rowing team had a strong conclusion to the fall season, taking first in two events at the Head of the Colorado at Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas this weekend.

The SMU Novice 4+ and the Freshman 8+ both took first place in the event. Laura Kade led the Novice 4+ boat of Megan Moechel, Bailee Petty, Jessica Haines and Alex Thibeaux to an eight-second win over second-place Texas A&M, finishing the course in 22:32.0.

"I am pleased with the overall results. This shows how much progress we've made over the last four weeks, increasing our competitiveness and depth of speed," head coach Doug Wright said. "Most importantly, I think it was a good confidence builder for the team to see those results translate from practice to racing situations."

Smith and Emily Carstens scored a fifth-place finish in the Varsity Pair, despite training together just once before the race. The duo finished in a time of 21:24.4. The 1st Varsity 4+ also finished fifth, while the 2nd Varsity 4+ was seventh. SMU also took seventh and eighth in the Varsity 8+.

"The freshmen repeated last year's performance, taking first in the Freshman 8+, soundly beating Texas by 18.2 seconds," assistant coach Bill McLean stated. "The Novice 4+ walked away with a gold medal in their first race together. Every day they are getting stronger, and with every stroke they are getting faster."

The Head of the Colorado concludes the fall schedule for the Mustangs. The rowing team will continue training for the championship season, which takes place in the spring.

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